Sam Williams, a retired executive at Sullivan Higdon & Sink advertising firm, has raised a total of $85,656, according to campaign finance reports that were due earlier this week. He loaned his own campaign $10,000 in August and reports show he's spent more than $26,900 on the campaign since Jan. 1. "We've been blessed.

State Sen. Les Donovan, R-Wichita, stated accurately that the tax cut passed by Republican legislators and signed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback was a "terrible piece of legislation" . However, he went on to say that the law was not conservative Republicans' fault, nor the governor's fault, but rather the fault of moderates and the Democrats.

Rep. Joseph Scapa, R-Wichita, chose an unfortunate example to explain his sponsorship of House Bill 2292 , which would repeal the Common Core educational standards in Kansas . When asked what book he considered pornographic, he singled out Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye," while admitting that he hadn't even read the book.

Credit is due Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, for getting a commitment by GOP leaders to allow a hearing on KanCare expansion. In one of his signature gambits on the House floor, Ward offered an amendment Thursday that would have led to the full House voting on Medicaid expansion outright.

A year after Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, had the good sense to shelve a bill easing the prosecution of teachers and principals for exposing students to material deemed harmful to minors, the measure passed the Senate Wednesday and headed to the House. Credit three area senators for being among 14 "no" votes: Michael O'Donnell, R-Wichita; Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick; and Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita.